82: Mechanical Puppetry

Lin Feng stood up, stretched his body, and paced back and forth in the Immortal Cave. His gaze swept over the Immortal Wine Gourd Vine, then fell upon the ice fire lotus seeds in the spirit spring.

Both were in an extremely slow state of growth, requiring a stable environment for nourishment.

'I need to go out often, and I can't guarantee I'll return on time every time. If I am delayed by something, causing the cultivation of these two spiritual items to be interrupted or even wither, all my previous efforts will be wasted...'

He frowned slightly, realizing an urgent problem: he needed to maintain the basic nourishment of these two items while he was away from the Immortal Cave.

'A Puppet... If I could obtain a low-tier Puppet to water them regularly, perhaps it would work.' A thought surfaced in his mind.

However, the art of Puppetry was no ordinary method. Within the Tianxuan Sect, the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion was the foremost Master of this Dao, but its Legacy had always been closely guarded, making it difficult for ordinary Disciples to access.

Lin Feng pondered for a moment, feeling uncertain.

'It is rumored that Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism of the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, though eccentric, cherishes talent... My skill in Formations is decent. Perhaps... I can try to request an audience under the guise of seeking advice on Formations, and then find an opportunity to mention the Puppet matter?'

'No matter what, I have to try.' Thinking this, he no longer hesitated and flew directly toward the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.

The Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion was situated atop a strangely shaped peak shrouded in mist. The building was not grand. There were no Disciples guarding the exterior, but layers of spiritual light flowing Restrictions were faintly visible.

Just as Lin Feng approached the pavilion's perimeter, a gentle voice sounded from an unknown location: "This is a vital area of the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion. Ordinary Disciples are not permitted to enter without authorization. What is your purpose?"

Lin Feng stopped and bowed respectfully: "Disciple Lin Feng of Baoyue Peak has presumptuously come forward, requesting an audience with Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism. This Disciple has a few points of confusion regarding the operation of Formations and hopes to receive guidance from the Immortal Master."

After a moment of silence, the voice sounded again: "Wait here."

Not long after, a Disciple from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion walked out and cupped his hands toward Lin Feng: "Junior Brother Lin, Master requests your presence inside."

Lin Feng felt slightly relieved. After thanking the Disciple, he followed him into the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion. The interior was completely different from other places; floating runes, semi-finished Puppet components, and complex Formation Plates flashing with faint light were visible everywhere.

He was led to a Quiet Room, where Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, with several Jade Slips floating in front of him, autonomously calculating changes.

Sensing Lin Feng's entry, he slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was gentle and peaceful, resting on Lin Feng as he spoke plainly: "You are Lin Feng? Your performance in the last Grand Competition was excellent."

Lin Feng bowed respectfully: "It is this Disciple. I apologize for disturbing the Immortal Master's Cultivation."

"Mm." Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism nodded slightly. "If you have any doubts about Formations, speak."

Lin Feng composed himself and presented a practical difficulty he had recently encountered while studying Formations, concerning the conversion of spiritual energy nodes.

Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism listened quietly, his finger stroking his long beard pausing slightly. His half-closed eyes opened a little, and his gaze lingered on Lin Feng for a moment, seemingly not expecting the question posed by this young Disciple to be quite insightful.

He did not answer directly but slowly and deliberately posed several critical questions concerning the Foundation of Formations and the flow of spiritual energy, his tone calm but implicitly testing.

Lin Feng's heart tightened, knowing this was a test. He dared not be careless, concentrating his mind for a moment before answering cautiously.

After listening, Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism's expression remained as placid as an ancient well. However, the fingers that had been casually resting on his knees imperceptibly tapped twice. The subtle ripple of surprise deep within his eyes quietly vanished, returning to tranquility.

He pondered briefly and slowly spoke: "Your Comprehension Ability regarding the Dao of Formations is acceptable, and your Foundation is quite solid. Did you only come today to ask about this one matter?"

Lin Feng composed himself and respectfully said again: "This Disciple indeed has another request."

"Speak."

"This Disciple came today to humbly request that the Immortal Master teach me the most basic refinement methods of the Mechanism Puppet Art."

Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism listened quietly, his gaze resting on Lin Feng, but did not immediately reply.

Just then, the side door of the Quiet Room was gently pushed open, and a steady-mannered young Disciple entered holding a tea tray, respectfully offering spiritual tea to Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism and Lin Feng.

Lin Feng looked up and was slightly startled. This person was actually Wu Chen, whom he had seen during the outer sect trial at Myriad Beast Valley.

When Wu Chen saw Lin Feng, a flicker of surprise also crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure, nodding slightly to Lin Feng before standing respectfully beside Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism.

Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism asked seemingly casually: "Wu Chen, how long did it take you to refine your first 'Patrolling Mountain Puppet'?"

Wu Chen respectfully replied: "Reporting to Revered Master, this Disciple was slow-witted. It took seven days and over ten failures before I barely succeeded."

Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism nodded slightly, his gaze returning to Lin Feng as he slowly said: "The basic chapter of the Mechanism Puppet Art contains the refinement methods for three lowest-tier Puppets: the Strongman Puppet, the Patrolling Mountain Puppet, and the medicine boy puppet. Which one do you want?"

Lin Feng did not hesitate: "This Disciple only needs it to care for spiritual plants; the medicine boy puppet is sufficient."

"Good." Daoist Master Mysterious Mechanism said no more. With a flick of his sleeve, a cyan Jade Slip flew toward Lin Feng.

"This is the Detailed Explanation of medicine boy puppet Refinement and the Preliminary Explanation of Basic Runes. Read it and try it. Basic tools and Materials are available in the side hall."

Lin Feng took the Jade Slips with both hands: "Thank you, Immortal Master."

He immediately immersed himself in the Jade Slips. The refinement of the medicine boy puppet was far from simple, but it was clearly illustrated with text and diagrams, detailing every step from Material processing to the drawing of the core runes.

About an hour later, he took a deep breath and walked toward the workbench in the side hall. Wu Chen stood quietly nearby, watching with a calm gaze, not interrupting.

Processing the ironwood, polishing the heart-controlling jade... Lin Feng's movements were slightly unfamiliar, but he was exceptionally focused.

Afterward, he picked up the Spirit Engraving Knife, calmed his mind, and focused his Divine Sense highly. He began to use the pure Divine Sense Cultivated by the Nine Profound Sword Heart Art to guide the spiritual blade, carving the complex and delicate control runes inside the palm-sized heart-controlling jade.

The first piece: the rune trajectory deviated by a hair's breadth, the spiritual light dissipated, and it was ruined.

The second piece: the spiritual energy infusion was uneven, causing it to crack halfway through, ruined again.

Fine sweat beaded on Lin Feng's forehead. He picked up another piece of heart-controlling jade, sinking his entire focus into it, tracing the diagrams in the Jade Slip... Time passed slowly. Inside the Quiet Room, there was only the faint sound of the carving knife rubbing against the jade.

Finally, the last rune trajectory perfectly closed.

Buzz... The last piece of heart-controlling jade suddenly lit up with a stable and smooth spiritual light. The internal runes were integrated into a whole, circulating endlessly.

Success! Lin Feng let out a long breath.

He dared not delay, immediately assembled the Materials, and carefully embedded the successful heart-controlling jade into the core.

A half-human-tall wooden Puppet stood quietly. Following Lin Feng's Divine Sense command, it moved slightly stiffly but accurately to the bucket, scooped water, turned around, and slowly poured the water onto the designated area.

The entire refinement process, from learning to success, took less than two hours.

Wu Chen, who had been standing quietly and observing, finally had his usual calmness shattered. Unconcealable shock appeared in his eyes.

He had failed over ten times and spent seven days to succeed, yet Lin Feng... merely read the Jade Slip once, failed twice, and succeeded on the third attempt?

What astonishing learning speed and Divine Sense control was this?